“Justice [Sandra Day] O’Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and a wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases. I am also not so sure [sic] that I agree with the statement I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

-Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor

I don’t really know where to start on this quote (pulled from the June 1-8 issue of TIME). One the one hand, it’s pretty standard pratice these days to bash white males as being the bastion (eh?) of close-minded intolerance. On the other hand, hearing a potential (and exceedingly probable) justice of the highest court in the land espouse this opinion really disturbs me. Smarter people than I have demonstrated the fallacy (and danger) of thinking that WASPs are the worst people group in America, and I’ve learned to just accept that as a given in our Modern Society. I’m not going to spew some harangue about how much this bothers me (too late), but I can’t shake the feeling that I need to shout at someone.

I like my share of obscure music. I do. So when I saw an interesting video by Of Montreal, I decided to get one of their albums and see if I could find myself on the cutting edge of little-known music and extreme bragging rights among my less-cultured friends.

I actually have a newer album called Skeletal Lamping, but this video is fairly representative of their stuff. The electric beats and peppy rhythms speak for themselves, and the underwater vocals are fairly par for the course. One part 60s alternative, two parts electric folk, and no parts grunge. The chords are back and forth melodic, and the cyclic melodies will keep you walking to the beat. Especially if you’re a computer. The funk factor is there, but it doesn’t take you along for the ride so much as parade itself in front of you, constantly twisting and contorting itself to keep your attention. And if you’re shy about sexually forthright lyrics, they’re probably not the band for you or your kids. I could throw a couple of the more eyebrow-raising track titles out there, but that wouldn’t be completely fair. Of Montreal is clearly setting the mood, and they’ve released plenty of material to sustain it for a while (they’re releasing albums at nearly a yearly rate for the past few years now).

To sum up, I’ll compare it to candy. Like a Baby Ruth bar, there’s a lot of chewy nougat to digest. If you’re looking for a quick bite, you’re looking in the wrong place. They love to meander up and down scales until even the most devoted fan begins to wonder if their LP is skipping, but if you chew long enough, you’ll begin to understand exactly what gives it that odd taste. The sweet caramel is there, so there’s sufficient hooks for the casual listener to at least enjoy some of their songs, but it likely won’t be drawing any fans that aren’t looking for a band like Of Montreal to play in the car during road trips with their cool friends in the first place.

At least, that’s what my review would look like if they weren’t an insane and weird band of freaks. Seriously, go find some GOOD music to listen to.

I fulfilled my goal of pinting with BU profs last night. To be sure, it was a little less than a complete victory, but it still counts!

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I think I missed Torrey graduation because of work yesterday. And by “think” I mean “it didn’t occur to me until one of the kids asked about a ring then I sat there and said to myself, ‘oh, I guess I won’t be there today.’ ” Eh.